Military Involvement
Both men and women from the St. Cloud Normal School would serve in the military and the Red Cross. These students were trained all over the United States, and were represented in different branches of the military. Although these students were not physically on campus during training, their service and their experiences were purposefully recognized and followed by the campus community.
Camp News
Even as St. Cloud Normal School's students left school in order to enter into training for the military, they did not forget about their campus community. Both current students and alumni in the service remained in contact with the school. This correspondence with the school would then be published in the Normal School Recorder which was the school's student newspaper at the time.
Service Flag
"Since April 2nd the sight of red, white, and blue together has thrilled us with a fresh feeling of patriotism; a glimpse of white stars on a blue field has inspired in us a revrent awe for the country we so highily honor; a vision of our flag in any situation has urged us on to new service for the country it symbolizes. Never before have we been so touched by the conjunction we find in the service flag of today. The service flag with its blue stars on a white background bordered with red stands as a glowing tribute to those who are actually fighting in this great war, or preparing to do so. It is a tribute to those who will win, for themselves and for us, honor, and it is a deeper tribute to those who will not come back to us when the war is done. For every star in this flag, there is a boy, striving, fighting, suffering, perhaps dying, fos his country and for humanity."
Helen D. Brewer, Normal School Recorder, January 1918
Typically used by families that had children in the war, these simple flags were used to demonstrate how many members of the household were in the war; blue stars represented the total number of family members that were serving, and gold stars represented family members that had passed away during their military service. The Normal School also adopted this practice of using a service flag, maintaining and showcasing a service flag for the campus.
